Sarasota emergency manager says debris could take six months to clear

Sarasota’s emergency manager estimates Hurricane Ian was responsible for twice the damage to trees and other landscaping than 2017’s Hurricane Irma, and that, he said, will take a while to gather and dispose of.  

“Our debris contractors estimate that there's 150,000 to 200,000 cubic yards of landscape debris,” Todd Kerkering said. “That is double the amount of (Hurricane) Irma. It took us a little over three months to get Irma cleaned up. I would anticipate since it's double, it could take us up to six months to get every street cleared and cleaned up.”

Ian moved through the area Sept. 28-29 at a slower pace and with stronger winds than Irma’s trek up the middle of the state. Citywide tree and branch waste removal began Oct. 5.

Generally, he said, the city fared well. Sarasota’s rapid recovery is in no small part credited to all the city’s departments preparing in advance of and taking action immediately after the storm cleared, he said.

At the end of Monday’s City Commission meeting, Kerkering provided a recap of actions taken by the city and its employees during and after the storm.

“When the winds dropped to 45 and we had good daylight hours we could start punching back out to the city and identifying our priorities of work,’’ he said. “That was handled flawlessly by the employees.”

By Friday afternoon, all employees had been accounted for, which Kerkering called a high priority. Some who live south of the city, where the damage was significantly worse, have lost their homes. The city’s human resources department is working to connect them with charitable groups and agencies that provide assistance.

For the most part, city properties suffered minimal damage. Insurance adjusters have already made assessments of city properties, and department heads have been cleared to receive quotes on repair costs.

Kerkering credited city employees for working throughout the storm recovery, even as they are dealing with utility outages and damage to their own homes.

“We didn't get the impacts like they did down south, but I will tell you there were six solid waste workers who came in to work Saturday who did not have power at their house,” he said. “They had no water, had no sewer, but they came to work on Saturday to perform for the citizens of the city. We have lots of (employees) who are still suffering more than our citizens, and they're still coming to work and are putting in the effort.”